The task was to fix the way the state educates students who don't know English.

The plan lawmakers turned in last week was a last-minute, slapped-together,
late-night mess that would earn a failing grade from any teacher in the
state.

Gov. Janet Napolitano should veto it and call lawmakers into special session. We
need a real solution, and we've needed it for a long time.

More than five years ago, a federal court ruled that Arizona was not properly
funding the education of English-language learners. Nothing was done to satisfy
the requirements of Flores vs. Arizona until a court-imposed deadline several
years later.

At that time, lawmakers increased funding as a stopgap measure and called for a
study to determine the full costs.

Fast forward to this year. Lawmakers express "grave concerns" with the
methodology and quality of the study they ordered and should have been
monitoring. That study, which relied on panel of experts to determine the
additional costs of educating English-language learners, put the price tag as
high as $210 million a year.

The plan passed late on the last night of this session by Republicans - over the
protests of Democratic lawmakers representing the children who need help to
learn English - increases funding by $28 million for one year only.

Senate President Ken Bennett said that was nearly what Democratic lawmakers had
wanted. But the amount is less of an issue than the method devised to dole out
future funding.

Democrats wanted the money for more than one year, and they wanted a system that
provides additional funding based on the number of students who need it.

What Republicans devised was a scheme for yet another study to determine costs.
(And if this one comes up with a too-high price tag, will they express "grave
concerns" once again?)

What's more, instead of providing a set amount of funding per pupil, this scheme
makes schools justify their needs district by district, charter by charter, and
apply periodically to the Department of Education for grants that will vary,
district by district and charter by charter.

It's an arbitrary system and won't satisfy the court, says Tim Hogan, of the
Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest, which represents the plaintiffs
in Flores.

In addition, it puts a lot of power in the state Department of Education and
sets up a layer of bureaucracy that should make small-government Republicans
cringe.

Lawmakers can do better than this - and they should have done it years ago when
the federal court first pointed out the deficiencies in the way the state is
funding education for English learners. The success of these kids will help
determine Arizona's future.